2006 NASCAR

Event: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series All-Star Challenge

Date: Saturday May 20th 2006

Location: Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, USA.

The Chilis played a concert between two segments of the race; a first for both the band who had never before performed at a sporting event and also for NASCAR, who had never previously hosted a performance during a race (it was only possible because of the All-Star challenge’s unique flow – consisting of three segments of 40, 30 and 20 laps). The Chilis played songs from “Stadium Arcadium” between the first and second segments.

Footage from the concert was used for the “How Bad Have You Got It?” NASCAR commercial. The ad showed RHCP in concert and also as members of a NASCAR pit crew while the single “Dani California” played in the background. During the television spot, the four Peppers shout, “Start your engines,” and Chad asks, “Nascar — How bad have you got it?” The Nascar-Red Hot Chili Peppers commercial premiered Saturday, July 1st on FOX (during the Pepsi 400 telecast live from the Daytona, Florida International Speedway).

Past NASCAR Image spots have featured major names in the music industry including Lisa Marie Presley, Lenny Kravitz, LeAnn Rimes and Sheryl Crow.

(Trivia: The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ performance at the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series All-Star Challenge was their last U.S. appearance before starting their world tour on May 30th in Barcelona, Spain).